Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said Wednesday he spoke with several Republican colleagues and said they were “waiting for the right time” to reject Pete Hegseth as a candidate for the top Pentagon job. said.
“I spoke with five to 10 Republicans and they said they were just waiting for the right time to say 'no' to Pete Hegseth,” Blumenthal told reporters Wednesday. He told the group. “And for a very good reason.”
Blumenthal said he believes Republicans are reluctant to publicly reject President-elect Trump's nominees because “no one is going to go against Donald Trump.” But he said he believes his Republican colleagues may voice their concerns to the president-elect behind closed doors.
“I think the power of the president, let alone this next president, and the retaliation that comes with that is pretty scary. So I think Republicans are reluctant to step forward and take the lead, but I personally think that They are prepared to advise the President that it would be prudent to urge the withdrawal of this nomination.
“I would be surprised if we were still talking about Hegseth come the weekend or Monday,” Blumenthal added.
Hegseth is the subject of accusations of sexual assault stemming from a consensual encounter in 2017, as well as workplace drinking and mismanagement of funds while running two veterans organizations. are also being sued.
But Hegseth struck a defiant note Wednesday, vowing to continue fighting for the nomination.
The Trump campaign, widely reported to have been blindsided by Hegseth's allegations of personal misconduct, is said to be considering other options to replace him at the top of the Pentagon.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that President-elect Trump is considering asking his former rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The Associated Press reported that Rep. Mike Walz (R-Fla.) has been removed from his current nomination for national security adviser and could instead take the helm of the Pentagon.
